'I'm Better Than Dak!' Stephen A. Smith's Bold Contract Trick

FRISCO - We have often made the point that ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith's cartoonish "hate'' of the Dallas Cowboys is a foundational part of a career that now pays him an estimated $12 million annually to be the face of what used to be a sports news network.

But now Smith - who pretends to be "anti-Cowboys'' because that's a handsome way to make a living while also manufacturing incendiary takes on other hot-button issues and people like LeBron James, Caitlin Clark and Deion Sanders - is literally trying to make more money with a connection to "America's Team'' ...

By bringing up the salary of Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott in application to his own contract negotiations with the network.

Smith, a comic actor at heart, does not seem to be kidding around here with a public stance about his worth.

In an interview with Boardroom in which he discuss his future career plans, he compares himself and his value to Prescott ... in a way in which he (not shockingly) flatters himself.

"Dak Prescott just signed a contract for $240 million, and he’s making $60 million a year ... and he has won (only) two playoff games in eight years," Smith said. "I’ve been No. 1 for 12 (years). In our respective industries, I win. I’m fully aware what I’m worth.”

In other words ... "I'm better - and more valuable - than Dak.''

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Speculation has it that Smith - who boldly talks of wanting to be a Hollywood movie star and the President of the United States and taking a seat on "Monday Night Football'' as he envisions himself as the rightful heir to Howard Cosell - is seeking a doubling of his salary with ESPN. And what's his frame of reference along the path of negotiations toward a rumored five-year, $100 million deal?

Quite naturally, if you think about it, it's a bold connection to the team he loves to pretend he hates - Dak Prescott's Dallas Cowboys.